I have just read the book, life ascending by Nick Lane, which discusses the possibility of LUCA originating in alkaline hydrothermal vents. Then this morning I heard about this story.
Deepest undersea vents discovered by UK team
by cantleave 20 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
jgnat
I learn something new every day. LUCA - Last Universal Common Ancestor
-
mP
Its also funny how western scientists for all the exploration vehicles always use pagan god names. We have Isis in the above story and the same pattern in many major rocket programs. Isis was the goddess of life ( or fertility etc) which is pretty fitting given the story.
-
Phizzy
I can understand the use of pagan names, "The Jesus Probe" just would not sound right !
Thanks for posting Cantleave, I knew of the book you mention (haven't read it yet) but would have missed this story, fascinating stuff !
-
troubled mind
Very interesting ,thanks for sharing !
-
Tiktaalik
Very interesting. Those deep water smoker ecosystems are so alien as to be almost beyond our comprehension. Life at these abyssal depths is so different to all other life on the planet.
At the base of the food chain are bacteria who obtain their energy from the chemicals in the super heated water that is discharging from the smokers. They have evolved methods of breaking apart chemical bonds and utilising the resultant energy for growth and reproduction. This is known as chemoautotrophism. All other life (nearly all anyway) is founded on photoautotrophism. That is energy is obtained from sunlight.
It it so true that we know more about deepest regions of space than we do about what is happening beneath the ocean.
Thanks for sharing cl.
-
cofty
Cantleave - that chapter in Nick Lane's book is amazing isn't it?
I've read it 3 times to get my head round the chemistry.
One of us should write a summary of it.
-
tec
I love that, thanks Can'tleave. That is what i did all my reasearch on for the sci-fi stuff I write; hydrothermal vents, life at those depths, different forms and adaptations; different ways to deal with the pressure, etc. I'm a little rusty; but its coming back to me as I go through the work.
Peace,
tammy
-
cantleave
One of us should write a summary of it.
I am happy to give it go Cofty,
I will draft it next week, this weekend I have to prepare something for work.
-
cantleave
I'm a little rusty; but its coming back to me as I go through the work.
I undertsand what you mean Tammy - When I studied Chemistry - over 20 years ago, I learnt the Krebs cycle for an exam in Biochem. I forgot it almost immediately. Reading through Nick Lane's book made look it up again.
